Departmental Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Leader of the House how many women there are in senior positions amongst his staff.

Peter Hain: The Privy Council Office provides administrative support to my office. I have one senior civil servant on my immediate staff, who is male.

Farm Incomes

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the total figure for total income from farming for the most recent year is expected; and if she will make a statement on the level of accuracy of the initial forecast figure in relation to the final agreed figure in previous years.

Alun Michael: The forecast of UK Total Income From Farming in 2004 was published on 30 November 2004. The provisional estimate will be published on 27 January 2005.
	The following table provides details of the level of revision between the initial forecast figure and subsequent provisional estimate for the last five years.
	
		Revisions to initial forecasts of total income from farming£ billion
		
			  Current prices 
			  Forecast Provisional 1 Revision 
		
		
			 1999 2.25 2.34 0.09 
			 2000 1.71 1.88 0.17 
			 2001 1.80 1.71 -0.09 
			 2002 2.27 2.36 0.09 
			 2003 3.23 3.20 -0.03 
		
	
	(1) Provisional estimates can be further revised in subsequent years as additional data becomes available and as a consequence of any methodological improvements.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether departmental special advisers have been responsible for authorising instances of departmental spending since May 1997;
	(2)  whether departmental special advisers have given instructions to permanent civil servants without the explicit authorisation of Ministers since May 1997.

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Miliband) on 16 December, Official Report, column 72591V.

Genito-Urinary Medicine

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce targets for waiting times from referral to assessment in genito-urinary medicine.

Angela Smith: Although there has been some slight increases in waiting times from the previous walk in arrangements, at present there are no plans to introduce targets for waiting times in the Genitourinary Medicine service. The Department has conducted a comprehensive review of sexual health services, which included a consultation exercise, and work will be undertaken to examine the way in which the service is delivered with a view to improving access in a local setting.

Antisocial Behaviour

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many housing-related antisocial behaviour incidents have been reported in each of the last seven years.

Hazel Blears: In October 2004, the Home Office published an on-line report entitled "Perceptions and experience of antisocial behaviour: findings from the 2003/2004 British Crime Survey" (HO Online Report 49/04). The report shows that houses and flats were the perceived target in nine per cent of the most recent instances of vandalism or graffiti in the last 12 months (the only period for which this information is available). A copy of this report is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/rdsolr4904. pdf
	The statistics available from the recorded crime series relate to recorded offences of criminal damage to a dwelling and racially aggravated criminal damage to a dwelling. Statistics are only available from 1998–99.
	
		Table 1: Recorded offences of criminal damage to a dwelling in England and Wales—1998–99 to 2001–02
		
			 Period Criminal damage to a dwelling Racially aggravated criminal damage to a dwelling Total 
		
		
			 1998–99 216,590 n/a 216,590 
			 1999–2000 234,575 1,452 236,027 
			 2000–01 238,896 1,765 240,661 
			 2001–02 269,456 2228 271,684 
		
	
	Note:
	1. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	n/a=not available
	
		Table 2: Recorded offences of criminal damage to a dwelling in England and Wales—2002–03 and 2003–04
		
			 Period Criminal damage to a dwelling Racially aggravated criminal damage to a dwelling Total 
		
		
			 2002–03 291,999 2,044 294,043 
			 2003–04 321,613 1,981 323,594 
		
	
	Note:
	1. The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Antisocial Behaviour (Sefton)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been (a) applied for and (b) granted by the courts in Lancashire, broken down by local authority area, in each year since their introduction.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the table.
	
		Number of ASBO applications, by result, and the number given on conviction, as notified to the Home Office, at all courts, where restrictions applied to specific local authority areas in Lancashire, 1 April 1999(5) to 30 June2004
		
			  ASBOs on application 2 ASBOs on conviction 
			 Period/Local authority area Total applications Total refused Total issued Total issued Total issued on application/on conviction 
		
		
			 1 June 2000—31 December 2000
			 Burnley BC 2 — 2 n/a 2 
			 Hyndburn BC 1 — 1 n/a 1 
			 Lancaster CC 1 — 1 n/a 1 
			 South Ribble BC 1 — 1 n/a 1 
			 Sub-total 5 — 5 n/a 5 
			 1 January 2001—31 December 2001
			 Chorley BC 2 — 2 n/a 2 
			 Fylde BC 2 — 2 n/a 2 
			 Hyndburn BC 2 — 2 n/a 2 
			 Lancaster CC 1 — 1 n/a 1 
			 Ribble Valley BC 1 — 1 n/a 1 
			 Sub-total 8 — 8 n/a 8 
			 1 January 2002—31 December 2002
			 Blackburn with Darwen BC 1 — 1 — 1 
			 Hyndbum BC 1 — 1 — 1 
			 Preston BC 1 — 1 — 1 
			 Rossendale BC 8 — 8 — 8 
			 West Lancashire DC 2 — 2 — 2 
			 Sub-total 13 — 13 — 13 
			 1 January 2003—31 December 2003
			 Blackburn with Darwen BC 1 — 1 1 2 
			 Blackpool BC 8  8 2 10 
			 Burnley BC 3 — 12 15 15 
			 Chorley BC — — — 3 3 
			 Fylde BC 1 — 1 — 1 
			 Hyndburn BC — — — 1 1 
			 Pendle BC 3 — 3 — 3 
			 Preston BC — — — 2 2 
			 Rossendale BC — — — 1 1 
			 South Ribble BC — — — 1 1 
			 West Lancashire DC 2 — 2 — 2 
			 Wyre BC — — — 1 1 
			 Sub-total 18 — 18 24 42 
			 1 January 2004—30 June 2004 
			 Blackburn with Darwen BC 2 — 2 3 5 
			 Blackpool BC 3 — 3 — 3 
			 Burnley BC 7 2 5 4 9 
			 Hyndburn BC 3 — 3 2 5 
			 Lancaster CC — — 1 1 1 
			 Pendle BC 1 — 1 1 2 
			 Preston BC 1 — 1 6 7 
			 Ribble Valley BC — — — 2 2 
			 Rossendale BC 1 — 1 — 1 
			 South Ribble BC — — — 2 2 
			 West Lancashire DC 2 — 2 — 2 
			 Wyre BC 2 — 2 — 2 
			 Sub-total 22 2 20 21 41 
			 Total 66 2 64 45 109 
		
	
	n/a = not applicable
	(5) From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 data were collected by police force area on aggregate numbers only. During this
	period 5 ASBOs were notified as issued within Lancashire.
	(6) Only covers applications dealt with by 30 June 2004.

Crime (Business Premises)

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that crimes against business are recorded separately from other crimes; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office currently publishes annual total crime statistics recorded by the police in England and Wales for the following offences specifically relating to business crime; robbery of business property, theft by an employee, theft from shops and theft of an automatic machine or meter. The most recent figures are available in Statistical Bulletin 10/04 "Crime in England and Wales 2003–04" at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0304. html. However, we recognise that these figures provide a limited picture of the true nature of crimes experienced by the business sector. We are also aware that businesses do not report every incidence of crime for a variety of reasons.
	Bearing this in mind, on 26 November, the Home Office also published the initial findings of the 2002 Commercial Victimisation Survey. This provided further information on the actual levels of business crime as well as an indication of the proportion of businesses which report the crimes which they suffer.
	The Home Office Business Crime Team is also looking at how current information on business crime, including retail crime, can be enhanced, in particular, whether it is feasible to identify crimes against businesses in police recorded crime statistics.

Crime (Retail Sector)

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of (a) the average cost per incident of theft, (b) the average loss per completed burglary and (c) the average loss per completed robbery to the retail sector in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003; what the level of incidence of (A) violence against staff and (B) completed robbery in the retail sector was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office does not collect these figures on a regular basis. However a commercial victimisation survey was carried out in 2002 which covered the incidence and cost of crime suffered by retailers in the preceding 12 months. A summary of the findings of that survey was published on the 26 November and is available on the Home Office website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/ rfpubs1.html. A detailed report of the findings is due to be published in spring 2005.
	The British Retail Consortium carry out a regular survey of their members. Relevant findings from their annual surveys are set out as follows:
	
		
			  Average value of goods stolen by customers Average stock loss per completed burglary Incidents of robbery per 100 outlets Average loss per robbery Incidents of violence per 1,000 staff 
		
		
			 2001 111 1,858 6 1,003 7 
			 2002 88 2,722 5 1,967 6 
			 2003 162 4,881 8 1,677 7 
		
	
	Source:
	BRC 10 Annual Survey and 11 Annual Survey
	The Government recognises the detrimental impact that crime can have on retailers, their staff and the communities they serve and is taking positive action to reduce it.
	On 12 October 2004 I met with senior retailers and their trade associations to discuss the key issues faced by retailers and to seek their views on joint action to reduce retail crime. Actions coming out of this will build on the work already under way.
	The Home Office has supported the work of the British Retail Consortium in developing retail crime reduction partnerships and is providing 899 of funding for them to set up the Action Against Business Crime (AABC) Group. This Group will provide a national network of business crime reduction partnerships in town and shopping centres across England and Wales. 100 new partnerships will be set up in addition to the 100 or so already established, who will be provided with a support network.
	Recognising that a large proportion of retail crime is drug related, pilot outreach schemes have been set up, with £170,000 Home Office funding, in Brighton and Northampton to tackle the link between retail crime and drugs misuse.
	We have recently completed the "Small Retailers in Deprived Areas' initiative which provided £15 million of government funding to the most vulnerable businesses to enable them to install security measures. Over 12,500 businesses benefited from the scheme which also included a training programme on crime reduction for retailers.
	Advice on crime reduction information is available from the Home Office produced postcards "Don't Discount Crime" and "Putting Crime out of Business", both of which provide easily accessible crime reduction advice to small businesses. These are available on the Home Office website. The Health and Safety Executive has also produced specific advice on managing the risk of work related violence.
	Retailers can obtain further specific advice and assistance on crime reduction from the Business Crime Reduction Advisers based in each of the Government Offices, the Home Office website and their trade associations.
	From November 2004 the police will be able to issue fixed penalty notices for some cases of retail or commercial theft. This will ensure that more minor incidents of such theft are dealt with quickly and effectively and the 80 penalty will act as a strong deterrent for first time offenders.

Decade of Roma Inclusion

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made in constructing a national action plan for the UK contribution to the European Union Decade of Roma Inclusion; and what consultation he has conducted with gypsy and traveller groups.

Keith Hill: I have been asked to reply.
	The Decade of Roma Inclusion is an initiative involving eight states in central and south-east Europe with the objective of speeding up and improving the social inclusion and the economic status of the Roma in those countries. The United Kingdom is not a participant.
	However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister continues to consult with gypsies and travellers and their stakeholder groups on a range of important issues, including the planning system, appropriate accommodation and other matters.

Lincolnshire Police Force

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences have been recorded by Lincolnshire Police Force in each year since 1995, broken down by category.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is given in the tables.
	
		Table 1: Recorded offences in Lincolnshire—1995 to 2001–02 1
		
			 Period Total Violence against the person Sexual offences Robbery Burglary 
		
		
			 1995 48,015 2,514 367 128 12,243 
			 1996 47,069 2,701 293 138 12,891 
			 1997 43,381 3,051 329 107 10,551 
			 1998–99(17) 46,670 4,239 393 149 10,257 
			 1999–2000 46,170 3,866 325 178 10,719 
			 2000–01 44,884 3,743 281 191 9,583 
			 2001–02 49,797 4,812 414 251 9,592 
		
	
	
		
			 Period Theft and handling stolen goods Fraud and forgery Criminal damage Drug offences Other 
		
		
			 1995 22,774 1,163 8,138 219 469 
			 1996 21,085 1,148 8,289 185 411 
			 1997 20,085 1,382 7,145 235 496 
			 1998–99(17) 19,328 2,723 7,728 1,229 624 
			 1999–2000 19,551 1,641 8,391 975 524 
			 2000–01 18,938 1,662 9,078 906 502 
			 2001–02 19,728 1,968 11,282 1,116 634 
		
	
	(16) The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	(17) Figures using the expanded coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998.
	
		Table 2: Recorded offences in Lincolnshire—2002–03 and 2003–04(18)
		
			  Period 
			  2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Total 61,949 60,377 
			 Violence against the person 9,238 10,148 
			 Sexual offences 583 636 
			 Robbery 307 304 
			 Burglary 10,831 9,052 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 22,745 20,665 
			 Fraud and forgery 2,580 2,320 
			 Criminal damage 13,694 15,176 
			 Drug offences 1,060 1,061 
			 Other 911 1,015 
		
	
	(18) The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Police Training Centre (Warrington)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 30 November 2004, Official Report, column 50W, on Police Training Centre (Warrington), on what dates representatives of the Home Office met key stakeholders to discuss the future of the police training centre at Bruche; who was present at each of these meetings; and what options for the future of the Bruche centre were considered.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 9 December 2004
	Under the modernisation of probationer training, various options for the national implementation of the modernised probationer training programme have been discussed throughout 2004. The Head of Police Training and Development in the Home Office has been the lead official in most of these discussions, which have also involved the former and current Chief Executives of CENTREX, several members of CENTREX's Senior Management Team, the Association of Chief Police Officers, various representatives of the Association of Police Authorities, and others.
	The national implementation of the new probationer training programme will necessarily be linked to the cessation of current Foundation Training provision at CENTREX regional training centres, and there will be implications for the future of CENTREX's estate. However, the precise nature of these implications is a matter for the CENTREX Board and Senior Management Team, and no firm decisions regarding the future of the Bruche centre itself have yet been made.

Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on the future of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: My hon. Friend the Member for Rochdale (Mrs. Fitzsimons) met my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence, (Mr. Hoon) on 6 December to lobby on behalf of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Additionally, in recent months the Secretary of State has received a series of letters from other hon. Members related to the future of this Regiment.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made to the House on 16 December 2004, Official Report, column 1195, by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Hoon) about the future structure of the Army.

Child Tax Credit

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what his estimate is of the number of families living in the London Borough of Wandsworth who are entitled to the child tax credit; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many families living in the London Borough of Wandsworth are in receipt of the working tax credit; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The numbers in receipt of tax credits are shown in "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics, Geographical Analyses January 2004". This appears on the Inland Revenue web site, at www.inlandrevenue. gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. Figures for December 2004 will be published on 23 December.
	No estimates are available of the number of families in Wandsworth eligible for these tax credits.

MP's Tax Credit Hotline

Peter Luff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what training is provided to staff on the MP's Tax Credit hotline.

Dawn Primarolo: All staff on the Tax Credits MPs' hotline staff receive:
	tax credits technical training
	additional training for planned tax credits system releases
	telephone techniques training.
	In addition, off-line technical specialists are available to support staff on the hotline.

Departmental Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how many women there are in senior positions in his Department;
	(2)  how many of the staff employed by his Department have a declared disability.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. These include data on the number of women in senior positions in Departments.
	The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the civil service website and the following addresses:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/gender apr04 4nov04.xls

Mobile Telephone Masts

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effect of thermal pulsing in radiation from mobile telephone masts.

Mike O'Brien: The issue of pulsing of mobile phone signals was addressed by the National Radiological Protection Board in the publication "Health Effects from Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields". Report of an independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation. Volume 14 No.2 2003. See particularly Chapter 2, page 18 paragraphs 17–19. The publication is available at http://www.nrpb.org/publications/documents of nrpb/abstracts/absd14–2. htm. In respect of thermal effects, mobile telecommunications equipment should comply with the exposure guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

Regional Development Agencies

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many contract staff have been appointed in regional development agencies to work on export trade promotion and inward investment.

Jacqui Smith: I understand that the number of permanent staff employed on a contract basis and other staff contracted to work on export trade promotion and inward investment by England's Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) are as follows:
	
		
			 RDA Number of permanent staff employed by the RDA Other staff contracted to work on export trade promotion and inward investment 1 
		
		
			 South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA) 17 11 
			 East Midlands Development Agency (Emda) 15 3 
			 London Development Agency (LDA) 1 0 
			 Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) 16 (23)0 
			 ONE North East 17.5 (23)2 
			 South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) 14 5 
			 Yorkshire Forward (YF) 16 (23)6.5 
			 Advantage West Midlands (AWM(24)) 16 3 
			 East of England Development Agency (EEDA) 0 (25)33 
		
	
	(22) Staff on a temporary or consultancy contract for the RDA, or posts funded by the RDA for which operational management rests with an organization other than the RDA.
	(23) In collaboration, North West Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward and ONE North East each contribute one third of the staffing costs relating to 14 staff in overseas offices. These staff are not included in the table.
	(24) AWM has joint funding arrangements with EMDA covering staff in Japan and the USA.
	(25) EEDA's sister organisation, Invest East of England (East of England Investment Agency) the inward investment agency for the region which receives the majority of its funding from BED A currently had 33 employees as of 30 November 2004

Disabilities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many of the staff employed by the Department have a declared disability.

David Lammy: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. This includes data on the number of staff who have a declared disability.
	The latest available information as at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the civil service website at the following address-http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/ statistics/publications/xls/disabilitv apr04 4nov04.xls

Legal Aid

Tom Cox: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the total cost of legal aid awards within the Greater London area has been in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The figures presented here are estimates of legal aid expenditure within Greater London based on the geographical location of courts and offices administering and paying legal aid in the area.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Amount 
		
		
			 2003–04 705 
			 2002–03 640 
			 2001–02 584 
			 2000–01(32) 522 
		
	
	(32) The figure for 2000–01 does not include residual costs paid to legal aid suppliers for criminal matters who did not subsequently enter into a contract when contracts were introduced.
	Estimates for 1999–2000 have not been included as the Legal Services Commission's system for payments underwent a significant change when they introduced contracting in 2000 and comparable estimates can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Senior Women

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many women there are in senior positions in his Department.

David Lammy: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. This includes data on the number of women in senior positions in Departments.
	The latest available information as at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the civil service website at the following address: http://www.civilservice. gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/gender apr04 4nov04.xls

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

David Lammy: All special advisers contacts with external bodies and organisations are undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

Working Time Regulations

Graham Brady: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many officials working in ministerial private offices in the Department have worked more than a 48 hour week at any time in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many of those had signed a waiver under working time regulations; and what percentage these figures represented of the total in each case.

David Lammy: The number of ministerial private office staff in the Department for Constitutional Affairs who have worked more than a 48 hour week at any time in the last 12 months is 44, and of these (100 per cent.) have signed an opt out agreement.

Staff Training Courses

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the (a) cost to the Department, (b) title and (c) location was of each training course organised by his Department for its staff in each financial year since 1997–98.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The Scottish Executive and the Department for Constitutional Affairs provide training and development opportunities for Scotland Office staff.
	The Office does not hold information in the form requested; the total direct expenditure on training was:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Financial year Expenditure 
		
		
			 1999–2000 10,486 
			 2000–01 21,346 
			 2001–02 20,755 
			 2002–03 38,858 
			 2003–04 33,008

Ministerial Pension Scheme

David Willetts: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if the Ministerial Pension Scheme will participate in the Pension Protection Fund.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	It is our intention that schemes which were exempt from the Minimum Funding Requirement provisions under the 1995 Pensions Act will not be eligible for the Pension Protection Fund. We would expect therefore that the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund, which provides pension benefits for MP's and Ministers, will not participate in the Pension Protection Fund.

Department Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many of the staff employed by his Department have a declared disability;
	(2)  how many women there are in senior positions in his Department.

Charlotte Atkins: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the Civil Service by Department. These include data on the number of women in senior positions in Departments and on the number of staff who have a declare disability.
	The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the Civil Service website and the following addresses. http://www.civilservice. gov.uk/management information/statistical information/ statistics/publications/xls/gender apr04 4nov04.xls http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/managementinformation/statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/disability apr04 4nov04.xls

First Group

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has had regarding the punctuality and reliability of First Group's buses.

Charlotte Atkins: In the current year the Department centrally has received at least 16 letters directly from members of the public, and one from an hon. Member on behalf of a constituent, about the punctuality or reliability of bus services operated by First subsidiary companies. The matter has also been raised in debates in this House, notably by my hon. Friend, the Member for Manchester, Blackley (Mr. Stringer) Official Report, 17 May 2004, column 794 and my hon. Friend, the Member for Pudsey (Mr. Truswell) Official Report, 1 April 2004, column 1841 in relation to First subsidiaries in their constituencies. Complaints about bus services are also received by the traffic area offices of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.
	In this context a service is unreliable if it fails to appear at all, and unpunctual if it runs unacceptably early or late compared to the registered timetable.
	The Department is concerned about standards of bus punctuality in general. There are many causes, some within and some outside the operator's control. The Bus Partnership Forum, representing operators, central and local government, has recently approved new measures to encourage operators and local authorities to work together to improve punctuality standards, in particular through Bus Punctuality Improvement Partnerships.

Parliamentary Questions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many written questions for his Department were unanswered when Parliament prorogued; and how many of the unanswered questions were tabled in each of the previous months of the 2003–04 Session.

Charlotte Atkins: The effective handling of parliamentary questions is an issue to which I, and ministerial colleagues, attach great importance.
	No Department for Transport written questions remained unanswered when the House Prorogued on 18 November.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether departmental special advisers have been responsible for authorising instances of departmental spending since May 1997;
	(2)  whether departmental special advisers have given instructions to permanent civil servants without the explicit authorisation of Ministers since May 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 16 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1258W-59W.

Anti-depressants

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for anti-depressants have been issued in the last 10 years; and what the change in numbers of such prescriptions has been over this period.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of prescription items of anti-depressants that have been dispensed in the community in England in each of the last 10 years is shown in the table. The table also includes the average annual percentage change in the number of prescriptions dispensed over the same period for anti-depressants and for all items prescribed.
	
		Number of prescription items (millions) of all antidepressant drugs dispensed in the community in England, 1993 to 2003 Items (million)
		
			  Tricyclic and related antidepressant drugs Monoamine-oxidase inhibitors Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors Other anti-depressant drugs Total of all anti-depressants Total of all Prescriptions 
		
		
			 1993 8.4 0.2 1.9 0.3 10.8 445.4 
			 1994 8.6 0.2 2.7 0.3 11.8 456.1 
			 1995 8.9 0.2 3.8 0.4 13.2 473.3 
			 1996 9.1 0.2 5.1 0.6 15.0 484.9 
			 1997 9.4 0.1 6.6 0.8 16.8 500.2 
			 1998 9.6 0.1 7.6 1.1 18.4 513.2 
			 1999 9.6 0.1 8.9 1.4 20.1 529.8 
			 2000 9.7 0.1 10.4 1.8 22.0 551.8 
			 2001 9.8 0.1 12.1 2.4 24.3 587.0 
			 2002 9.8 0.1 13.3 3.1 26.3 617.0 
			 2003 10.0 0.1 13.8 3.8 27.7 649.7 
			 Average annual increase number of items, 1993 to 200322.0  9.9 3.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Antidepressants are defined as British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.3 (Antidepressant drugs).
	2. 1993 to 2003 data are based on items and cover prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. It also includes prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England.
	3. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospital or private prescriptions.
	Source:
	Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) data from the Prescription Pricing Authority.

Backlog Maintenance Costs

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the risk-adjusted backlog maintenance cost for the NHS in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: Estimates can be provided from 1999–2000 onwards and this information is shown in the table. Insufficient data exists centrally to make estimates prior to that date.
	The estimates are based on the average age of national health service trust buildings. From 2004–05, the method of calculating backlog costs by trusts will be based on specific data concerning the remaining lives of individual NHS buildings, initially provided by the Valuation Office, and will deliver greater accuracy as a result.
	
		
			  £000 
			 Strategic health authority name 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 24,597 35,245 32,836 24,767 19,584 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 15,902 23,101 20,009 22,835 18,970 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 51,354 47,284 34,931 41,926 42,271 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 22,286 26,928 22,575 24,454 14,455 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 11,878 13,444 8,772 6,233 4,741 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 27,892 28,308 23,466 21,002 17,427 
			 Dorset and Somerset 5,730 9,976 7,631 5,899 1,885 
			 Essex 13,917 11,077 17,686 12,302 11,228 
			 Greater Manchester 46,963 44,975 32,211 27,943 26,307 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 24,066 20,767 12,802 11,701 10,985 
			 Kent and Medway 26,019 15,556 7,601 27,659 25,131 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 32,885 22,250 41,966 27,431 26,522 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 25,492 19,525 10,816 19,540 9,622 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 14,760 14,364 13,792 13,502. 9,656 
			 North Central London 39,407 44,131 41,341 64,447 61,168 
			 North East London 59,623 52,595 54,289 44,384 42,359 
			 North West London 49,089 32,347 43,185 31,638 46,350 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 31,232 33,133 18,551 12,046 10,360 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 18,1,26 26,678 34,869 34,628 32,221 
			 South East London 68,161 66,427 55,006 36,417 31,759 
			 South West London 25,971 24,892 17,283 35,193 35,350 
			 South West Peninsula 13,830 13,101 9,271 6,852 4,424 
			 South Yorkshire 16,854 15,947 14,781 20,492 9,063 
			 Surrey and Sussex 35,810 28,807 45,434 23,583 25,907 
			 Thames Valley 47,380 26,438 30,906 32,858 24,606 
			 Trent 45,589 57,940 52,088 36,539 37,152 
			 West Midlands South 20,321 14,591 12,239 10,800 9,954 
			 West Yorkshire 42,484 43,043 31,061 33,731 27,595 
			 England total 857,615 812,871 747,398 710,801 637,053

Departmental Telephones

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on the use of telephones in his Department by members of staff for their own personal use for (a) domestic and (b) international calls; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what measures he has taken to ensure the telephones in his Department are not used by staff for making unauthorised personal calls to international numbers;
	(3)  what the estimated cost to his Department is of unauthorised personal calls made by members of staff to (a) domestic and (b) international numbers.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's policy on the use of telephones by members of staff for their own personal use is to allow short personal calls within the United Kingdom. Calls should last no longer than a few minutes per day.
	Personal international calls must not be made, unless in exceptional circumstances, with line management approval.
	The Department has ensured that telephones are not used by staff for making unauthorised personal calls to international numbers, by barring telephone from accessing international numbers unless this is required for business purposes.
	Invoices for international call charges are monitored centrally in detail to ensure that any abuse of the facilities would be picked up at an early stage. In addition, a breakdown of the most expensive telephone numbers is issued to business areas on a quarterly basis to enable managers to monitor telephone usage by their staff.
	As direct dialling is employed on all Department of Health telephones there is no data held centrally which would enable an estimate of unauthorised personal calls to domestic or international numbers to be made.

Disabilities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the staff employed by his Department have a declared disability.

Rosie Winterton: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the Civil Service by Department. These include data on the number of staff who declare a disability.
	The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the Civil Service website at the following addresses:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical/information/statistics/publications/xls/gender apr04 4nov04. xls
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/disability apr04 4nov04. xls

Driving (Drugs)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the risks of driving while taking (a) benzodiazepines, (b) tricyclic antidepressants and (c) antihistamines; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will introduce changes to labelling of (a) benzodiazepines, (b) tricyclic antidepressants and (c) antihistamines to ensure clear advice on possible effects on driving when taking such medication is included; and if he will make a statement.
	(3)  if he will commission research on the experience in other EU countries of the effects on the incidence of road accidents of labelling pharmaceutical packaging to include information on the effects of the drug on driving, with particular reference to (a) benzodiazepines, (b) tricyclic antidepressants and (c) antihistamines; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: It is recognised that some medicines may affect ability to drive. Where a particular medicine or class of medicines is known to affect a patient's ability to drive, a warning is included in both the product information for prescribers—the summary of product characteristics—and patients—the patient information leaflet. Antihistamines, which cause drowsiness are is included in both the product information for prescribers—the summary of product characteristics—and patients—the patient information leaflet. Antihistamines, which cause drowsiness are required by law to include a warning on the outer label concerning the need for caution regarding driving.
	In addition, for certain groups of drugs, including benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants and sedating antihistamines, warning labels in relation to driving are added at the time of dispensing of the medicine by the pharmacist, in line with guidance provided in the British National Formulary.
	The impact of medicines, which may affect the ability to drive on the incidence of road traffic accidents is unclear. There is very limited information systematically recorded by the police in the United Kingdom or elsewhere on accident causation due to the effects of medication.
	Studies are currently ongoing to evaluate the impact of medicines on the risk of road traffic accidents. In particular, the European Commission is supporting a three year extensive research programme named IMMORTAL (Impaired Motorists, Methods of Roadside testing'-and Assessment for Licensing). This study aims to investigate the influence of chronic and acute impairment factors, including impairment from medicines, on driving performance and accident risk. Until the level of risk due to medicines has been identified, it is not possible to assess the effects of medicines labelling on the incidence of road traffic accidents.

Entertainment Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure arises on hospitality and entertainment only in the context of promoting the Department's business objectives. All such expenditure is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in "Government Accounting".
	Information in the required form is not available for the years requested. The total amount spent by the Department on hospitality since 1995–96 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Amount 
		
		
			 1996–97 105,192 
			 1997–98 90,883 
			 1998–99 67,953 
			 1999–2000 50,114 
			 2000–01 93,091 
			 2001–02 121,968 
			 2002–03 125,261 
			 2003–04 106,337

Gyms

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many gyms are available to the staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The Department currently has one gymnasium available to its staff on the Department's London administrative estate. Operational costs are met by gym members' subscriptions.
	The Department occupies a building jointly with the Department of Work and Pensions in Leeds which has a gymnasium available to staff. Any operating costs for the gymnasium that are included in the facility price are paid by the Department.

Health Services (Newcastle)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many elective admissions there were in each year for 1996–97 to 2003–04 in the Newcastle upon Tyne primary care trust area; and how many of those admissions had been waiting for (a) up to three months, (b) three to six months, (c) six to nine months, (d) nine to 12 months and (e) 12 months or more.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Count of elective in-year finished admissions for Newcastle upon Tyne hospitals national health service trust—duration of time waited by method of admissions in NHS Hospital in England 1998–99 to 2003–04
		
			 Finished in year admissions  Time waited 
			 Year Method of admission Under three months Three— under six months Six— under nine months Nine— under 12 months 
		
		
			 1998–99 11 Waiting list admissions 26,415 6,623 3,833 2,860 
			  12 Booked admissions 40,634 981 117 90 
			  13 Planned admissions 3,193 1,048 456 323 
			 1998–99 total — 70,242 8,652 4,406 3,273 
			 1999–2000 11 Waiting list admissions 25,825 6,951 3,630 2,229 
			  12 Booked admissions 43,552 1,071 152 70 
			  13 Planned admissions 4,315 927 508 266 
			 1999–2000 total — 73,692 8,949 4,290 2,565 
			 2000–01 11 Waiting list admissions 8,468 2,450 1,357 1,143 
			  12 Booked admissions 26,879 828 106 52 
			  13 Planned admissions 1,879 782 468 225 
			 2000–01 total — 37.226 4,060 1,931 1,420 
			 2001–02 11 Waiting list admissions 25,017 7,493 3,019 1,973 
			  12 Booked admissions 46,413 1,684 492 533 
			  13 Planned admissions 4,279 768 284 187 
			 2001 -02 total — 75,709 9,945 3,795 2,693 
			 2002–03 11 Waiting list admissions 26,739 8,311. 3,465 2,615 
			  12 Booked admissions 48,807 2,042 440 319 
			  13 Planned admissions 5,932 982 431 268 
			 2002–03 total — 81,478 11,335 4,336 3,202 
			 2003–04 11 Waiting list admissions 28,075 8,269 3,749 2,8.26 
			  12 Booked admissions 47,750 2,494 229 111 
			  13 Planned admissions 5,15.7 972 518 654 
			 2003–04 total — 80,982 11,735 4,496 3,591 
		
	
	
		
			 Finished in year admissions  Time waited 
			 Year Method of admission 12 months plus Not known Total admissions 
		
		
			 1998–99 11 Waiting list admissions 1,287 88 41,106 
			  12 Booked admissions 57 1,634 43,513 
			  13 Planned admissions 367 81 5,468 
			 1998–99 total — 1,711 1,803 90,087 
			 1999–2000 11 Waiting list admissions 1,555 97 40,287 
			  12 Booked admissions 66 817 45,728 
			  13 Planned admissions 437 100 6,553 
			 1999.-2000 total — 2,058 1,014 92,568 
			 2000–01 11 Waiting list admissions 798 26,459 40,675 
			  12 Booked admissions 27 18,829 46,721 
			  13 Planned admissions 550 2,654 6,558 
			 2000–01 total — 1,375 47,942 93,954 
			 2001–02 11 Waiting list admissions 1,545 245 39,292 
			  12 Booked admissions 447 2,804 52,373 
			  13 Planned admissions 560 203 6,281 
			 2001 -02 total — 2,552 3,252 97,946 
			 2002–03 11 Waiting list admissions 1,616 1.71 42,917 
			  12 Booked admissions 378 1,668 53,654 
			  13 Planned admissions 449 165 8,227 
			 2002–03 total — 2,443 2,004 104,798 
			 2003–04 11 Waiting list admissions 1,890 194 45,003 
			  12 Booked admissions 80 2,356 53,020 
			  13 Planned admissions 159 657 8,117 
			 2003–04 total — 2,129 3,207 106,140 
		
	
	Notes:
	Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
	Time waited
	Time waited statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
	Finished in year admissions
	A finished in year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data year. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health

National Programme for IT

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the incorporation of implied consent into the National Programme for IT in the NHS.

John Hutton: The national programme for information technology (NPfTT) in the national health service is procuring systems that will, in due course, provide the NHS with the tools to fully implement the NHS confidentiality code of practice. This will enable NHS bodies to capture the express consent or dissent of patients where this is required, and will provide patients with a great deal of control over who can see what clinical information. The confidentiality code of practice, published in November 2003, was endorsed by the Information Commissioner and the General Medical Council. It sets out the interpretation of the requirement for consent to the use and disclosure of confidential health data that has been agreed with these bodies and with the Department's legal advisors. Where health data is used or disclosed solely for care or care related purposes, provided that patients have been informed of these purposes and of their right to object, it is reasonable to imply consent where there is no express dissent. The NPfTT in the NHS is developing a sophisticated anonymisation service, the secondary uses service, to ensure that other, for example, public health, research and managerial, requirements for data can be satisfied without breaching patient confidentiality.

National Programme for IT

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Information Management Security Forum of the National Programme for IT last met; how often it has met since its inception; what its current membership is; and what outcomes it has produced.

John Hutton: The information security management forum (ISMF) of the national programme for information technology (NPfIT) in the national health service last met on 7 December 2004 and has met a total of 23 times. The membership of the ISMF comprises representatives of the Department of Health, NPfTT, the NHS Information Authority, all providers who deliver services to the NHS under NP1TT contracts, and the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre. The ISMF has developed, agreed and published a contractor security policy, version 1, additional temporary policy enhancement notices and some related best practice guidelines.

Nurses (Lancashire)

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses there are in (a) Burnley and (b) Lancashire; and how many there were in 1997.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff including practice nurses in each specified organisation as at 30 September1 each specified year Headcount
		
			1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003 Difference 1997–2003 
		
		
			  Total specified organisations 10,694 10,702 10,832 10,467 11,502 12,175 12,348 1,654 
			 5CC Blackburn with Darwen PCT (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 236 251 313 (40)— 
			 5DD Morecambe Bay PCT (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 983 990 1,033 (40)— 
			 5F2 Chorley and South Ribble PCT (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 295 333 402 (40)— 
			 5F3 West Lancashire PCT (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 202 205 212 (40)— 
			 5G7 Hyndburn And Ribble Valley PCT (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 52 402 387 (40)— 
			 5G8 Burnley, Pendle And Rossendale PCT (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 123 497 506 (40)— 
			 5HD Preston PCT (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 50 263 302 (40)— 
			 5HE Fylde PCT (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 28 142 154 (40)— 
			 5HF Wyre PCT (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 45 224 229 (40)— 
			 5HP Blackpool PCT (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 64 284 313 (40)— 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 1 (40)— 
			 QCl South Lancashire HA 6 5 5 13 5 (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 QCX East Lancashire HA 6 8 14 6 6 (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 QCY North West Lancashire HA 7 7 6 10 20 (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RE3 South Cumbria Community and Mental  Health NHS Trust 304 (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RES Westmorland Hospital NHS Trust 247 (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 REU Burnley Healthcare NHS Trust 1,382 1,369 1,358 1,364 1,413 1,080 (40)— (40)— 
			 REV Lancaster Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 638 (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 REW Lancaster Priority Services NHS Trust 614 (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RJP Southport and Formby Community Health  Service NHS Trust 262 255 (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RJU Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust 701 746 775 772 603 (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RJV West Lancashire NHS Trust 510 504 (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RJX Calderstones Hospital NHS Trust 363 293 250 262 276 275 289 –74 
			 RM8 Furness Hospitals NHS Trust 500 (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RMB Blackburn, Hyndbum and Ribbla Valley  Health Care 1,260 1,274 1,547 1,189 1,206 1,161 (40)— (40)— 
			 RMD Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (40)— (40)— (40)— 35 72 105 121 (40)— 
			 RME Communicare NHS Trust 472 483 509 522 387 (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RMF Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1,272 1,234 1,264 1,256 1,330 (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RMG Guild Community Healthcare NHS Trust 394 436 464 446 455 (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RML Blackpool Wyre And Fylde Community  Health Services 845 865 871 868 910 (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RMR Blackpool Victoria 911 939 968 973 1,140 (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RTX Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust (40)— 1,471 1,540 1,441 1,529 1,549 1,519 (40)— 
			 RTY Bay Community NHS Trust (40)— 813 808 835 (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RVT North Sefton and West Lancashire  Community NHS Trust (40)— (40)— 453 475 72 (40)— (40)— (40)— 
			 RW5 Lancashire Care NHS Trust (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 1,002 1,021 (40)— 
			 RXL Blackpool, Fylde And Wyre Hospitals NHS  Trust (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 1,497 1,475 (40)— 
			 RXN Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 1,915 1,928 (40)— 
			 RXR East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— (40)— 2,143 (40)— 
		
	
	(39) Data as at 30 September each year except practice nurse data as at 1 October 1997–99.
	(40) Not applicable.
	Source:
	Department of Health general and personal medical services statistics.
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census.

Psoriasis

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many courses of hospital-based treatment for psoriasis there were in each strategic health authority area (a) in total and (b) per head of population from 1998 to 2003; and if he will estimate the cost of each course of hospital-based treatment.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the number of finished consultant episodes {FCEs), where psoriasis was the primary diagnosis has been placed in the Library.
	The national average costs of treating all major skin conditions in 2002–03, the latest year for which information is available, is shown in the table. It is not possible to provide data broken down by specific condition.
	
		
			 Patient type HRG code HRG label Number of FCEs National average unit cost (£) 
		
		
			 Elective in-patient J39 Major dermatological conditions >69 years old or with complications and comorbidities 1,226 3,162 
			 Elective inpatient J40 Major dermatological conditions <70 years old or without complications and comorbidities 2,129 2,832 
			 Elective inpatient J41 Major skin infections >69 years old or with complications and comorbidities 361 1,975 
			 Elective inpatient J42 Major skin infections <70 years old or without complications and comorbidities 174 1,246 
			 Non-elective inpatient J39 Major dermatological conditions >69 years old or with complications and comorbidities 2,845 1,852 
			 Non-elective inpatient J40 Major dermatological conditions <70 years old or without complications and comorbidities 4,680 1,404 
			 Non-elective inpatient J41 Major skin infections >69 years old or with complications and comorbidities 27,439 1,468 
			 Non-elective inpatient J42 Major skin infections <70 years old or without complications and comorbidities 17,428 919 
			 Day case J39 Major dermatological conditions >69 years old or with complications and comorbidities 683 254 
			 Day case J40 Major dermatological conditions <70 years old or without complications and comorbidities 6,984 208 
			 Day case J41 Major skin infections >69 years old or with complications and comorbidities 151 410 
			 Day case J42 Major skin infections <70 years old or without complications and comorbidities 156 337 
		
	
	Source:
	National health service trusts own data—Reference Costs 2003—relating to the financial year 2002–03.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether departmental special advisers have been responsible for authorising instances of departmental spending since May 1997;
	(2)  whether departmental special advisers have given instructions to permanent civil servants without the explicit authorisation of Ministers since May 1997.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Miliband), on 16 December 2004, Official Report, columns 1258–59W.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the then Minister for the Cabinet Office, (Ruth Kelly), on 14 December 2004, Official Report, column 1005W.

Literacy/Numeracy

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2004, Official Report, column 775W, on literacy and numeracy, what percentage of (a) Key Stage 2 pupils and (b) Key Stage 3 pupils reached the required standards in (i) literacy, (ii) numeracy and (iii) literacy and numeracy in each year since 1997 in (A) Haltemprice and Howden and (B) England.

Stephen Twigg: The percentage of Key Stage 2 pupils achieving level 4 or above in English and mathematics for 1997–2003 are as follows:
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 1 2003 1 
		
		
			 Haltemprice and Howden 
			 English 69 72 77 84 82 82 80 
			 Mathematics 70 71 76 79 77 80 78 
			 English and maths — — — — — 76 71 
			 
			 England
			 English 63 65 71 75 75 75 75 
			 Mathematics 62 59 69 72 71 73 73 
			 English and maths — — — — — 66 66 
		
	
	(42) The English and mathematics combined information for Haltemprice and Howden are different to the other results as they are pupil-residency based and are only available from 2002 onwards as this is when PLASC data first became available to use.
	Figures for 2004 by parliamentary constituency are not yet available, but will be placed in the Library as soon as possible.
	The percentage of Key Stage 3 pupils achieving level 5 or above in English and mathematics for 1997–2003 are as follows:
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 1 2003 1 
		
		
			 Haltemprice and Howden 
			 English 65 68 67 69 67 70 77 
			 Mathematics 69 65 70 74 72 72 73 
			 English and maths — — — — — 69 73 
			 
			 England
			 English 57 65 64 64 65 67 69 
			 Mathematics 60 59 62 65 66 67 71 
			 English and maths — — — — — 58 62 
		
	
	(43) The English and mathematics combined information for Haltemprice and Howden are different to the other results as they are pupil-residency based and are only available from 2002 onwards as this is when PLASC data first became available to use.
	KS3 2004 figures will be made available soon after publication of the KS3 Attainment and Achievement Tables (March 2005).

Partnership for Schools

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the relationship is between his Department and Partnerships for Schools; and who the members of the board of Partnerships for Schools are.

Stephen Twigg: Partnerships for Schools is an Executive NDPB of the DfES. It is a company limited by shares wholly owned by the Secretary of State and is co-financed and co-managed under a joint venture agreement between DfES and Partnerships UK.
	Its board members are Peter Stanton-lfe and Stephen Crowne.

Sickness Absence

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

Stephen Twigg: My Department remains committed to managing sickness absence effectively and to putting in place the recommendations of the recently published report "Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector".
	I would refer the right hon. Member to the figures contained in the annual report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service" published by Cabinet Office. Table A of the report gives details of both the average number of working days lost through sickness for each staff year and the number of staff years on which the calculation is based. The most recent report is for calendar year 2003 and was announced by Written Ministerial Statement on 1 November 2004, Official Report, 1WS and copies placed in the Libraries of the House. Reports for 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 are available on the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/ conditions of service/caje/publications/index.asp_ sickness.

Student Finance

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government's actual expenditure on the interest subsidy on student loans was in the academic years (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2003–04 and (d) 2004–05.

Kim Howells: The Secretary of State for Education and Skills only has responsibility for student loans paid to higher education students domiciled in England and Wales and this answer provides data relating to those students.
	The following table provides the expected future interest subsidy over the loan's life for each year's loan issues. This represents the anticipated whole resource cost of the loans advanced during the year in question. The table also gives the actual amount by which the Government subsidised the interest charged on student loans annually. This represents the resource consumed in the financial year in question of subsidising the whole outstanding loan book. Calculations are based on financial rather than academic years:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Financial year Future interest subsidy charge Annual interest subsidy 
		
		
			 2001–02 773 376 
			 2002–03 959 544 
			 2003–04 600 427 
		
	
	Source:
	DfES Resource Accounts
	The Government's cost of capital rate changed from 6 per cent. to 3.5 per cent. on 1 April 2003, therefore, the earlier years are not comparable with later years. Actual figures for 2004–05 are not yet available.

Teacher Resignations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the resignation rate of teachers was in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by region; and what percentage of each region's teacher workforce each represents.

Mr. Twigg: The information is not collected in the format requested.
	The latest information on teacher turnover and wastage is provided in the following table. Additional information on wastage rates are contained in the "School Workforce in England" volume 2003 edition, a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library. It is also available at the following URL:
	http://www.dfes.qov.uk/rsqatewav/DBA/OL/v000443/index.shtml
	
		Teacher FlowsTurnover and wastage rates of qualified teachers by Government Office region—England (percentages)
		
			  Full-time Part-time l Full-time and part-time 1 
			  Turnover rate 2 Wastage rate 3 Turnover rate 4 Wastage rate 5 Wastage rate 6 
		
		
			 Government Office region 2001/200 2 7 
			 North East 15.3 7.9 35.7 27.1 7.0 
			 North West 16.8 9.2 31.5 26.5 7.9 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 16.7 8.9 27.6 23.0 7.6 
			 East Midlands 19.8 9.5 29.5 23.6 8.3 
			 West Midlands 17.7 8.7 32.2 27.1 7.7 
			 East of England 23.0 11.0 36.9 27.0 9.6 
			 London 23.0 11.9 27.9 21.5 9.6 
			 of which:  
			 inner London 25.1 13.6 27.2 22.0 10.2 
			 outer London 21.9 11.0 28.2 21.3 9.4 
			 South East 20.5 11.8 30.1 25.2 10.5 
			 South West 17.5 10.4 31.3 26.3 9.2 
			 England 
			 2000/01 18.0 9.9 34.1 28.5 9.1 
			 2001/02(54) 19.2 10.1 31.1 25.1 8.8 
			 2002/03(54) 17.9 10.0 30.2 24.9 8.9 
		
	
	(48) 10–20 per cent. of part-time teachers may not be included in the data.
	(49) Full-time turnover is defined as all teachers in full-time service in the English maintained schools sector on 31 March 2001 who were not in full-time service in the same establishment on 31 March 2002. Turnover therefore includes wastage, transfers to other establishments within the maintained schools sector and teachers leaving to part-time service. Not all employers record all movements between schools within their employ so rates are underestimated.
	(50) Full-time wastage is defined as all teachers in full-time service in the English maintained schools sector on 31 March 2001 who were not in full-time service anywhere in the English maintained schools sector on 31 March 2002. This includes teachers leaving to part-time service.
	(51) Part-time turnover is defined as all teachers in part-time service in the English maintained schools sector on 31 March 2001 who were not in part-time service in the same establishment on 31 March 2002. Turnover therefore includes wastage, transfers to other establishments within the maintained schools sector and teachers leaving to full-time service. Not all employers record all movements between schools within their employ so rates are underestimated.
	(52) Part-time wastage is defined as all teachers in part-time service in the English maintained schools sector on 31 March 2001 who were not in part-time service anywhere in the English maintained schools sector on 31 March 2002. This includes teachers leaving to full-time service.
	(53) Full-time and part-time wastage is defined as all teachers in full-time or part-time service in the English maintained schools sector on 31 March 2001 who were not in full-time or part-time service anywhere in the English maintained schools sector on 31 March 2002. This does not include moves between full-time and part-time service.
	(54) Provisional data.
	Source:
	Database of Teacher Records

Vending Machines

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage the sale of healthy foods by vending machines in schools.

Derek Twigg: School head teachers and governing bodies decide whether to install vending machines in schools, and if so, what products should be sold. However, we plan to extend our nutritional standards for school lunches to cover food consumed in schools throughout the day.
	Across government we are taking forward a number of initiatives that focus on healthy vending machines in schools. The Department of Health's (DoH) strand of the joint DfES/DoH Food in Schools programme includes a pilot project on healthier vending. Information can be viewed on their website: http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAnd SocialCareTopics/FoodInSchools/fs/en.
	The Food Standards Agency recently published a toolkit entitled "Vending Healthy Drinks". The guide provides information on healthy vending machines selling drinks such as milk, pure fruit juice and water. The guide can be viewed on the website: http://www.food.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/2004/oct/vendinghealthy.

Departmental Expenditure

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by his Department in each of the last two years.

Maria Eagle: The available information is in the following table:
	
		
			   £ million 
			  2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Business-related refurbishment works  (non modernisation programme)(56) 25.819 22. 932 
			 Modernisation programme works(57) 274. 181 335.068 
			 Total 300 358 
		
	
	(56) Business-related refurbishment works are ongoing, internal changes to buildings to meet developing business needs e.g. the removal of partition walls to accommodate organisational moves of staff.
	(57) Modernisation programme works are part of a major programme funded by the Treasury to improve the way in which DWP services are delivered to the public. The physical surroundings of several of the businesses within DWP are being changed, including Jobcentre Plus, The Pensions Service and Debt Management Services. This spend is a combination of new acquisitions, major refurbishments to buildings already part of the estate, as well as the smaller, business-related refurbishment works costs. While the overall cost of the programme is known it is not possible to provide separate figures for refurbishment works.
	Note:
	Additionally, our private sector partners Land Securities Trillium are responsible for providing an ongoing maintenance programme for all buildings on the estate. DWP pays for this as part of the unitary charge for the serviced accommodation it receives at each building and it is not possible to provide separate costs for this.

Emails

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of emails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions continues to implement well established policies and procedures for the review and disposal of files in accordance with its administrative needs and the Public Records Act.
	Email messages that form part of the official record are saved for as long as business needs require and stored corporately in accordance with departmental record management procedures. Further email guidance is available on the National Archives website at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/advice/pdf/managing emails.pdf
	This policy has not been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Pensions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the median income of (a) a single pensioner and (b) a pensioner couple in (i) gross and (ii) net terms was on the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by (A) income from state benefits, (B) income from occupational pensions, eEarnings and (E) other income.

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is in the following tables:
	
		Table A: The median Net and Gross incomes of all single pensioners and pensioner couples:
		
			  Singles Couples 
		
		
			 Net income (AHC) 122 242 
			 Gross income 168 291 
		
	
	
		Table B: The median incomes of all single pensioners and pensioner couples from different sources:
		
			  Singles Couples 
		
		
			 State benefits 108 155 
			 Occupational pension 8 54 
			 Earnings 0 0 
			 Investment income 0 3 
			 Personal pension income 0 0 
		
	
	As many pensioners are not in receipt of these different sources of income, the median value is often zero. The total median income can not be broken down by income sources so that the components sum to the total.
	The following table provides the median incomes from different sources for those pensioners in receipt.
	
		Table C: The median incomes of all single pensioners and pensioner couples from different sources for those in receipt:
		
			  Singles Couples 
		
		
			 State benefits 108 158 
			 Occupational pension 55 107 
			 Earnings 128 174 
			 Investment income 2 8 
			 Personal pension income 26 37 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Source Table A, B and C: The Pensioners' Incomes Series 2002–03 which is based on data from the Family Resources Survey.
	2. Incomes are presented as pounds per week. Figures for incomes are given in 2002–03 prices and rounded to the nearest pound.
	3. The Pensioners' Incomes Series analysis is for Pensioner Units, which are either:
	Single pensioners (i.e. people over state pension age) or pensioner couples (i.e. married or cohabiting pensioners where the man is over state pension age.)
	4. AHC stands for "after housing costs".
	5. State benefits are taken as the sum of incomes from the state pension, income related benefits and disability benefits.

Travel Costs

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total travel costs to his Department have been for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials for each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 9 December 2004
	Since 1999, the Government publishes, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Copies of the lists are available in the Library of the House. [Details on the cost of Ministers' domestic travel is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.] Travel costs for advisors who accompany their ministers overseas is included in the annual list on Overseas Travel by Cabinet Ministers. Other travel costs for advisors can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	The available information for officials is in tables. DWP was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security (DSS) and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment (DfEE). Travel expenditure information is not available for the former DfEE prior to March 2000, therefore expenditure figures up to and including 31 March 2000 are for the former DSS only. All travel complied with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.
	
		Travel costs 1 from 1997–98 to 2000–01 for the DSS and its Agencies £
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Benefits Agency(59) 18,968,615 18,692,979 20,803,862 18,382,607 
			 Contributions Agency(60) 2,420,422 2,889,523 — — 
			 Child Support Agency 2,380,132 2,244,467 3,114,557 3,841,188 
			 War Pensions Agency 275,967 348,711 416,182 445,401 
			 HQ 1,535,194 2,423,911 2,939,166 3,462,278 
			 Independent Statutory Bodies 862,751 828,137 1,890,467 1,876,481 
			 Employment Services — — — 2,613,873 
			 Total 26,443,081 27,427,728 29,164,243 30,621,828 
		
	
	(58) Travel costs include vehicle rental, UK travel, foreign travel and official vehicle costs.
	(59) BA costs included benefit offices, pensions, disability and carers directorate and DSS corporate centre.
	(60) Contributions Agency transferred to Inland Revenue in 1999.
	
		Travel costs(61) from 2001–02 to 2003–04 for DWP £
		
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Benefits Agency(62) 14,311,031 — — 
			 Employment Services 2,730,854 — — 
			 JobCentre Plus — 6,657,293 6,348,361 
			 Pensions Service — 5,669,528 10,001,472 
			 Child Support Agency 3,026,276 9,307,901 5,769,218 
			 Disability and Carers Directorate — 1,563,153 1,305,638 
			 War Pensions Agency 385,999 — — 
			 Independent Statuary Bodies 542,783 — — 
			 Appeals Service — 670,736 797,560 
			 Corporate and Shared Services 13,434,816 11,213,697 12,308,030 
			 Total 34,431,759 35,082,308 36,530,279 
		
	
	(61) Travel costs include vehicle rental, UK travel, foreign travel and official vehicle costs.
	(62) BA costs included benefit offices, pensions, disability and carers directorate and DSS corporate centre.